Pakistani ‘regrets’ non-issuance of visas to its pilgrims for Urs

Islamabad:Pakistan on Saturday voiced regret over the non-issuance of visas by India to Pakistani pilgrims for the Urs (anniversary) of Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Aulia in Delhi from January 1-8.

The visit was to take place under the provisions of the 1974 Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines and is a regular, annual feature, said the Foreign Office in a statement.

It said the non-issuance of visas is “unfortunate and runs counter to the letter and spirit of the 1974 Protocol and objective of people-to-people contacts”.

The Foreign Office also said that earlier this year, “despite Pakistan’s offer to send a special train, Indian delays resulted in Sikh pilgrims from India being unable to participate in the Martyrdom Anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev and death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh”.

The development comes amid a war of words between New Delhi and Islamabad over the circumstances of the meeting between alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and his family in Islamabad.